Without Words
by Kaminarii
Summary: Kagome becomes ill and loses her voice and Inuyasha blames himself.


-Without Words-  
  
disclaimer: Sadly I don't own Inuyasha and never will... |:o(  
  
summary: Kagome becomes ill and loses her voice and Inuyasha blames himself. Promises as well as hearts are broken. The group must defeat the evil that threatens to take control of their hearts. Can Inuyasha and Kagome confess their true feelings for one another before its too late or will it end the way it always does? In utter confusion. Features Kikyou, Kouga, and the usual companions and enemies. Please r&r!   
  
author notes: hmmm...just give it a try, you might like it :o)  
  
chapter 1: Frozen Forests and Hearts  
  
The once warm and welcoming forest was now cold and covered in white. The huge bouts of snow warned off many travelers and tortured those who did tread the freezing paths. Kagome's entire body shivered as she pulled herself over the lip of the well. 'Looks like the snow is worse here then it was at home.' she concluded as she hauled her backpack over her shoulder and trudged through the snow. She had expected Inuyasha to be there to help her, she told him she would only be a few hours. He had protested against her returning to her time to get supplies so she made sure she returned on time. 'It is deathly cold out, I can't possibly expect him to wait outside for me.' she smiled at the thought of him indoors by the fire content and warm. She was anxious to be there with him so she walked faster and took a slightly shorter route. 'I'm coming Inuyasha.'   
  
However, Inuyasha was not at all where Kagome had thought him to be. He had sat by the well for hours awaiting Kagome's return when he picked up a familiar scent. He followed the scent to a near by grave and caught sight of two soul collectors snatching a few random souls. He followed the demons to their master.  
  
"Kikyou." he breathed just barely audible. She lifted her head and gazed into his eyes. Blue orbs of energy entered her body, her eyes brightening as each soul was dropped into her. Inuyasha walked closer to her closing the distance between them. He dropped to his knees to be face to face with the undead miko. His eyes never left hers. An endless depth of sorrow and pain. She never faultered, didn't even blink when his hand took hold of hers.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked. Her voice was dull, it wasn't cold or welcoming. It was just there. He chose action instead of words as he pulled her into an embrace. She didn't attempt to break the embrace and made no effort to return it. Inuyasha was not offended though, he wallowed in the fact that she had allowed him to hold her again. He closed his eyes and imagined himself staying this way forever. She too allowed her eyes to close, wishing she could feel his warmth.  
  
Kagome's legs ached from the coldness. The snowfall had become even more dense making it extremly difficult to see let alone walk. 'Great, I'm lost' Kagome stopped to look for anything familiar but found it useless. The icy winds whipped at her face and hair. Her cheeks were windburnt and burning red. Her coat did provide some shelter from the cold but she'd never survive at this rate. She blew on her hands to try and warm them up but quickly realized the only feeling they felt were sharp numbing pains. 'I hope I don't get frost bite...' she worried as she continued on her search for the village.  
  
The embrace brought happy memories to both Kikyou and Inuyasha. Memories of being together, before the horrific betrayal. Kikyou brought her hands up and enveloped Inuyasha. It wasn't a smooth and flowing movement but rather an uncomfortable one as she held him. But both were warm and content so they remained there holding eachother for what seemed like forever.  
  
Meanwhile, Kagome continued to journey through the storm. She had been walking for hours and found herself completly alone and lost. She had thought about calling for Inuyasha but didn't want him to have to come and save her from snow. A blood thirsty demon is one thing but a little snow was unacceptable. She could do this. Unknown to Kagome though, her lips had began to turn blue and her heart rate was dropping. Determination and pride clouded Kagome's vision from the onsetting hypothermia. 'I'm almost there' she half told herself and half prayed as she slowly walked on. Her knees were shaking uncontrallably as well as the rest of her body. She coughed as her breathing slowed and became raspy. The cold air burned her throat everytime she inhaled and her lungs ached with each exhale. Her vision began to blur, not that it was a huge difference anyway. All she saw was white. Her teeth had been chattering so much that even her jaw ached. She told herself over and over again to keep walking, she had to be close. However, her legs were disobeying her and her frozen feet remained planted in the snow.She shut her eyes and silently prayed for a savior. Snowflakes settled in her hair and on her eyelashes giving her a white glow. From a distance she almost looked like some sort of winter goddess.   
  
"Beautiful." Kouga had stated as he watched the raven haired beauty in the snow. He had caught her scent in the air only a few moments earlier and decided to say hello. Inuyasha's scent had been strong too but he was surprised to find Kagome out in this weather alone. He quickly ran toward her seizing the opportunity to be alone with her. As he got closer to her Kouga noticed how blue her lips were and how icy her hair was. 'How long has she been out here?' he wondered. "Kagome" he shouted at her as he continued to run towards her.  
  
Kagome still hadn't opened her eyes or moved. She tried to will herself to as she heard her name being called but she couldn't. 'I'm so cold.' she thought. She heard someone approaching her and put all her energy into moving. Her knees betrayed her though as they gave out and she collided with the ground. The overwhelming whiteness faded into black as consciousness too left her. 'Inuyasha.' was her last thought.  
  
Kouga gasped as he watched her collapse to the ground, her midnight black tresses pooling around her. He was by her side instanly, scooping her trembling form into his arms. He took off the Haori he wore and wrapped it around Kagome. "Don't worry Kagome, I've got you." he told her as he held her close. 'I can't believe Inuyasha would leave her out here like this.' The anger rising as he raced toward a nearby village.  
  
Sango quietly closed the door behind her as she exited the hut. She had been cramped in there for hours with her companions and wanted nothing more then a moment to herself. She took in the beauty of the winter crested forest. Everything was so white and pure seeming. Even the small cloud her breath made as she exhaled seemed so refreshing and clean. She leaned against the hut as she imagined her younger self out playing in the snow with Kohaku. A smile crept onto her face as she remembered the first time the small boy had ventured out into the snow.  
  
"Breath taking isn't it?" Miroku said as he looked down at her. She caught his gaze momentarily and nodded. She shivered slightly as the cold set in. Miroku noticed this and wrapped an arm around her in an attempt to keep the woman warm. She smiled at the gesture and allowed his warmth. 'So sweet for a leche.' she inwardly laughed and returned her gaze to the forest. For a moment she thought she saw Inuyasha approaching but dismissed the thought as she noticed the black hair blowing in the wind. A man dressed in deep browns and off white tribal robes was approaching. Miroku broke the embrace as he caught sight of the new comer. He seemed to be carrying something but neither Miroku nor Sango could see what it was.  
  
"Miroku, do you sense evil?" Sango asked directing the question toward the strange man. He shook his head no and smiled at her.   
  
"It's only Kouga." he concluded. He focused on the object in the wolf leaders arms as he neared and gasped when he realized what it was. "Kagome!" He shouted as he grabbed Sango's hand and ran toward the two.  
  
Inuyasha was suddenly thrown back into reality as a new scent entered his nostrils. He growled as he realized who it was. 'Damn Kouga.' he thought as he caught another much sweeter scent which he found to be Kagome's. 'Kouga's with Kagome!' he winced as he imagined them together. That arrogant fool with his Kagome. Kikyou sensed the distress and broke away from the embrace. Inuyasha smiled weakly at her but realized her regret. He reached for her hand but was shocked when Kikyou pulled away. She stood above him as her pets circled her body lifting her from the ground. Inuyasha rose to his feet slowly.  
  
"Kikyou, don't leave me." he pleaded with the miko as he reached for her chin. He pulled her face close to his. He had expected her to turn him down but she didn't. She could feel his breath on her but not the significance or the warmth of it. She was numb. She closed her eyes and moved into the oncoming kiss. Inuyasha savored the moment. It had been so rare that Kikyou was affectionate. She pulled away as she faded. Inuyasha stood watching the spot where Kikyou once was. "We will be together again, I will protect you." he promised to the wind then raced off in the direction of Kagome's scent.  
  
"Monk! Where can we take her?" Kouga yelled as he raced to the holy man and demon huntress. Kagome's body was still shivering and he noticed her heartbeat was weak. Sango pointed to Kaede's hut as she raced after the retreating Kouga. "She needs help..." he yelled over his shoulder. Miroku ran after him with Sango just ahead of him. He guessed what had happened. He knew he sensed something.   
  
'Kagome must have stumbled upon Inuyasha and Kikyou again. She probably ran off and became ill.' he thought 'and stubborn Inuyasha must have left her for Kikyou. Baka.' The four entered the hut to find the elder miko.  
  
Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed something in the snow. It had a pretty thick layer over it, but some yellow still showed through the white. Whatever it was, Kagome's scent was strong on it. Inuyasha pulled the object out of the snow and realized what it was. "Kagome." he whispered realizing the seriousness of the situation. He ran towards her scent, finding it hard to follow due to the heavy snowfall. He found the mixed scents to lead to the direction of the village. 'Please let her be alright.' he silently pleaded.  
  
author notes: sorry this chapter was so long and it dragged on...i promise more action and excitement is on the way! read on! 


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